Visiting Angels is the worst agency we have used for in home elder care in 2 countries and 2 states.
They filmed us during the interview, informing us AFTER the fact.
They required access to the checking account before providing services, exploiting the desperate circumstance of being the sole caregiver for an elder with advanced dementia, Alzheimer's, Diabetic edema, etc., while relocating due to fires and medical needs.
They first sent 2 disordered people who failed to help: the 1st failed to give medicines she promised to give, letting my mother fill her pill bowl with water and bury it under artwork, interrupting a round of antibiotics, leading to diarrhea the next day, which the same caregiver then left on the floor for me to clean because she cleaned my mother and felt that I "should do the rest." The 2nd rearranged and hid all emergency gear where I couldn't see or reach it, moved my clothes and papers 2x after promising not to, left car and house unlocked and wide open after promising to keep them locked!
Visiting Angels claimed there were NO OTHER available caregivers. I said in that case I was cancelling the work order. They then FOUND 4 excellent caregivers, whom we invested time and money in training and with whom my mother was bonding, to enable my first respite care break in years.
They then informed me that they had scheduled these caregivers for my "respite care break," however, because I have no family capable of backing them up (the very reason we invested in their services,) I WOULD HAVE TO STAY IN TOWN, ON CALL, 24/7, TO WORK AS THEIR BACK UP CAREGIVER! They directed me to get a hotel in town, rather than to travel to another state as they know I intended, to do other work on my mother's behalf, rather than staying in our house, where I could use my office.
Thus they claimed they could not provide the very thing for which we hired them, precisely because we needed it, precisely because we don't have other family members capable of doing it - contrary to their website, which promised that they would keep our loved one safe and happy until I returned from vacation, an emergency, or whatever I needed to do.
Visiting Angels was committed to making us settle for a bait and switch, classic NON-RECIPROCATION: directing us to GIVE THEM our trust, our keys, control of my mother, her medicines, her home, to PAY THEM THOUSANDS for 5 respite care days, but TO NEVER ACTUALLY RECEIVE a respite care break, and, to incur the added expense of a hotel, in the wrong place! I was forced to take my mother on the trip, where little was accomplished before a fire evacuation drove us back.
The last day for which I requested help they didn't have a caregiver available, then they found one at the last minute but failed to tell us, then they sent her to our OLD residence despite having sent a caregiver to our NEW residence the day before, then they left a message that a caregiver was waiting at our OLD residence, then despite my return call they refused to redirect the caregiver to our NEW residence DURING her shift for us, claiming they had "redirected her to another client," then they billed us for this shift = premeditated stealing and infliction of distress. They ignored my demand for reimbursements.
Their corporate office advised me to report this franchise to their CEO who "would definitely call back because he cares very much about his clients." He failed to return my call or remedy this grand theft of our trust, money and time.
Some of the good caregivers were given the false impression that we cancelled the respite care because we didn't like them, rather than because their employers refused to keep their word and provide a genuine respite care break.
In short, you're better off doing it all yourself, 24/7, then to invite these thieves, liars, professional saboteurs in to your home. read more
